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Morphometric Indices for Sexing Adult Royal Eudyptes Schlegeli and Rockhopper E

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Morphometric Indices for Sexing Adult Royal Eudyptes Schlegeli and Rockhopper E 1996 Hull: Morphometric indices for sexing penguins 23 MORPHOMETRIC INDICES FOR SEXING ADULT ROYAL EUDYPTES SCHLEGELI AND ROCKHOPPER E. CHRYSOCOME PENGUINS AT MACQUARIE ISLAND CINDY L. HULL Department of Zoology, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252C, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia ([email protected]) Received 8 November 1995, accepted 4 March 1996 SUMMARY HULL, C.L. 1996. Morphometric indices for sexing adult Royal Eudyptes schlegeli and Rockhopper E. chrysocome Penguins at Macquarie Island. Marine Ornithology 24: 23–27. Four measurements were taken from a sample of known-sex Royal Eudyptes schlegeli and Rockhopper E. chrysocome Penguins at Macquarie Island. Significant differences were found between sexes in all measure- ments. Bill depth and bill length were the most reliable measures for assigning sex, and when these were applied to a discriminant function analysis, accurately assessed 97% males, 97.2% females in Royal Penguins (97.1% overall), and 93.3% males, 93.0% females in Rockhopper Penguins (93.2% overall). Cross-validation using jackknife analysis accurately assigned the sex of 97% of males, 97% of females in Royal Penguins (97.1% overall), and 93% males, and 93% females in Rockhopper Penguins (93.2% overall), indicating the validity of using these measurements. The non-overlapping ranges (mm) were: in Royal Penguins bill depth, males 29.3–33.5, females 24.3–27.7; bill length, males 67.0–73.8, females 55.8–62.7; in Rockhopper Penguins bill depth, males 20.3–23.3, females 16.7–18.8; bill length: males 46.2–51.2, females 38.5–42.2. These ranges should be used to assign sex in the field. For penguins that fall outside these ranges bill depth and length should be applied to the derived discriminant formulae. Some significant morphometric differences were found between Royal Penguins in this and a previous study on Macquarie Island, indicating the difficulty of com- paring studies involving different workers. Methods for overcoming these difficulties are discussed. INTRODUCTION hopper Penguins, and to thus determine the most reliable means of sexing birds in the field. These data are then com- Studies of the ecology of avian species often require the iden- pared to previous studies of Royal and Macaroni E. chryso- tification of the sexes of individuals. In penguins there are no lophus Penguins. reliable plumage differences that can be used to distinguish the sex of individuals visually (Davis & Spiers 1990, Marchant & Higgins 1990). In order to avoid destructive or invasive tech- MATERIALS AND METHODS niques, the use of external morphometrics to sex animals reliably is of great value. Whereas penguins are dimorphic in The study was carried out at Macquarie Island (54°30'S, body mass, this measure is unreliable due to its variability 158°57'E) during the 1993/4 and 1994/5 breeding seasons. across animals within and between years (Warham 1975, Davis Royal Penguins were measured at Sandy Bay, and Rockhopper & Spiers 1990, Groscolas 1990, C.L. Hull unpubl. data). Penguins at Brothers Point, at the southern end of Sandy Bay. Measurements (to 0.1 mm) were made with Vernier calipers External morphometric indices have been used widely to assist of bill depth (at a point proximal to the tip of the triangular in the sexing of penguins (Scolaro 1987, Gales 1988, Kerry et inter-ramal feather patch), bill width (maximum width of the al. 1992, Amat et al. 1993, Agnew & Kerry 1995, Woehler culminicorn), bill length (length of exposed culmen) (as per 1995). However, there are no published data on the mor- Warham 1972, 1975) and head length (maximum length from phometrics of Rockhopper Penguins Eudyptes chrysocome the dorsal brain case to tip of the bill) of penguins of presumed filholi from Macquarie Island, and the few data for Royal Pen- sex as determined by breeding behaviour. Breeding behaviour guins E. schlegeli indicate a need for further statistical analy- included date of return to the island (males return at least one sis of morphometric characters (Woehler 1995). week earlier than females), incubation shift (females carry out the first incubation shift), and guard-stage foraging shifts Sexual dimorphism has been noted in all species of penguins, (undertaken by females) (Warham 1963, Smith 1970, Warham with males always larger than females (Livezey 1989). The 1971, Carrick 1972, Warham 1972, Marchant & Higgins degree of dimorphism, however, varies between groups of 1990). As there is no published, or observed, evidence of penguins. Using skin measurements Livezey (1989) found reverse-role behaviours in these species this technique was crested penguins Eudyptes spp. to be the most dimorphic of deemed to be reliable. Individuals were marked with perma- penguins, but they were only moderately dimorphic when nent metal flipper bands and were observed at least once per compared using skeletal measurements. week throughout the breeding season, enabling further confir- mation of the sex of an individual (Hull & Wilson 1996). The purpose of this paper is to provide data on morphometric During the 1993/4 season, 50 pairs of breeding Royal and 50 indices for identifying the sex of individual Royal and Rock- pairs of breeding Rockhopper Penguins were measured. Pairs 24 Hull: Morphometric indices for sexing penguins Marine Ornithology 24 TABLE 1 MORPHOMETRIC INDICES IN MM (MEAN AND STANDARD DEVIATION) OF ROYAL AND ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS FROM MACQUARIE ISLAND. ALL SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, P<0.05. Species Sex Bill depth Bill width Bill length Head length BSI * Royal Penguin male (67) 30.4 (1.57) 14.1 (1.23) 68.7 (2.85) 143.5 (4.72) 2954.3 (373.1) female (71) 26.8 (1.27) 13.3 (1.15) 61.1 (2.63) 133.8 (4.34) 2181.6 (246.8) t values 14.6 4.1 16.2 12.5 14.3 % difference between sexes 88.3 94.1 88.9 93.3 73.8 Rockhopper Penguin male (60) 21.0 (0.99) 10.8 (0.81) 46.4 (2.05) 115.6 (2.98) 1051.8 (114.6) female (57) 18.7 (0.85) 10.0 (0.85) 41.9 (2.13) 109.6 (3.63) 788.2 (116.4) t values 13.8 4.9 11.6 9.8 12.3 % difference between sexes 88.7 92.9 90.3 94.7 74.9 * Bill Shape Index on nests were selected haphazardly from three transects in the character and (xm+xf) xf is the mean of the female character; Royal Penguin colony and two in the Rockhopper Penguins colony (see Hull & Wilson 1996). All birds were measured S = 1–p where p is the proportion of individuals that are while on the nest to minimise disturbance (Hull & Wilson misclassified by a single factor discriminant analysis; 1996). During the subsequent season, previously unbanded breeders on the transects were measured. Therefore, a total of BSA = prl where l is bill length and r is (=0.5 bill depth) 138 Royal (67 males, 71 females), and 117 Rockhopper (60 (the formula is the shape of a cone). males, 57 females) Penguins were measured. Comparisons of morphometric data between the sexes were RESULTS made using Student t tests. Discriminant Function Analyses (DFA) were used to determine the accuracy of assigning pen- Sexing penguins by morphometric indices guins to a sex using these morphometric data, and to determine the most reliable measurements. A jackknife analysis was then All mean measurements in this study were significantly differ- used to cross-check the accuracy of the DFA (Tabachnick & ent between the sexes in both species (t-tests P<0.05), with Fidell 1989). From these results, discriminant formulae were males being larger (Table 1). The mean difference ranged from derived to assign a sex to individuals for future studies. In 73.8% (BSI) to 94.1% (bill width) in Royal Penguins, and addition, a Bill Shape Index (BSI) was calculated from the 74.9% (BSI) to 94.7% (head length) in Rockhopper Penguins multiplication of bill depth, bill width and bill length, and (Table 1). divided by 10 (see Warham 1975) for the purpose of compari- sons with Woehler (1995). A Mean Dimorphism Index (MD), In Royal Penguins the canonical loadings from the DFA a Separation Index (S), and a Bill Surface Area (BSA) were determined that bill length was the most reliable predictor of also calculated for each of the characters for comparison to sex, and in Rockhopper Penguins, bill depth (Table 2). Lower other studies (see Agnew & Kerry 1995). These indices were loadings for bill width and head length in both species indi- defined as follows: cate a lesser contribution of these measurements to the accu- rate assignment of sex to a penguin. Using the four variables, MD = 200 (xm–xf) (%) where xm is the mean of the male the discriminant function analysis accurately assessed 95.5% TABLE 2 CANONICAL LOADINGS OF MORPHOMETRIC INDICES FOR ROYAL AND ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS FROM THE DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS Variable Royal Penguins Rockhopper Penguins Bill depth 0.743 –0.883 Bill width 0.207 –0.318 Bill length 0.818 –0.749 Head length 0.633 –0.637 Group Classification function coefficients: Variable Males Females Males Females Bill depth 46.137 34.313 76.349 53.613 Bill width 125.164 121.261 73.915 75.703 Bill length 35.303 27.955 –20.634 –27.904 Head length 59.340 58.022 101.552 101.891 1996 Hull: Morphometric indices for sexing penguins 25 of males, and 97.2% of females in Royal Penguins (96.4% TABLE 3 overall), and 93.3% of males and 93.0% of females in Rock- hopper Penguins (93.2% overall). However, removing bill NON-OVERLAPPING RANGES FOR BILL DEPTH width and head length increased the accuracy of the DFA to AND LENGTH IN ROYAL AND 97.0% males, 97.2% females in Royal Penguins (97.1% over- ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS all), and 93.3 of males, 93.0% of females (93.2% overall).
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